Luxury Life & Style

AT HOME WITH JIM GRIFFITHS AND JENNY MAASTRICHT Jim, Jenny and Cody 26 Luxury Life & Style November/December 2007 Photo courtesy of Christine Ladd Huffman. With stays at such high-profile resorts as The Four Seasons at the forefront of his thinking, Jim’s ideas for the remodel required a builder who would support his vision while bringing a can-do attitude to the table. Enter Custom Home Builder Dave Baldwin in October of 2005. The founder of Baldwin Construction came to the project with an open-minded determination that characterized his collaboration with Jim and designer LeAnn Brown. The concept of indoor/outdoor living is paramount in the 4,600-square-foot house and reaches its breathtaking pinnacle on the third floor. Here, sections of glass wall by Nana Wall Systems, Inc. slide along a track and are easily folded back to completely open the kitchen and living room to an outdoor deck complete with a Jacuzzi and privacy glass that fogs at the touch of a button. No feature represents Baldwin’s expansive view of the home’s possibilities better than the aquarium in the foyer, which holds 1,000 gallons of water and was lifted into place via a crane through the roof’s skylight after construction. Baldwin collaborated with Age of Aquariums, Inc. to design the structure, home to more than 75 saltwater fish that were handcollected from tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean. The sheer weight of the aquarium requires that steel beams, which extend down into the wine cellar, support it. Baldwin cleverly designed a soap-stone corking table around the beams to leave one with the impression that they support only the table. A closet in the wine cellar discreetly harbors the aquarium’s cleaning equipment. Designer LeAnn Brown’s contribution to the home was at once artistic and entirely attentive to the needs of Jenny and Jim. The couple’s personal brand of entertaining is very much defined by their love of the outdoors. Jenny is a professional volleyball All-American from Wisconsin who played for the United States Olympic Team from 2000-2001, and both she and Jim (a weekend volleyball player) enjoy the proximity of their home to the volleyball courts just outside their door. Between sand, surf and the water it was pivotal that the home’s floors and furniture accommodate a seamless enjoyment of both the outdoors and indoors while also incorporating design flourishes that would impart a sense of South Pacific-inspired luxury. For this reason, Brown’s design included rich yet durable fabrics as well as radiant-heated Travertine stone floors that can withstand wear and tear. Also key was ensuring that Jenny and Jim could find private solace in even the fullest house, which Brown expertly provided in her design of the master suite.

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Editor's Note Carte Blanche Home Interview The Arts Seen in the South Bay Give Drive Fashion People Spotlight Travel The Cellar Dine Vacation Properties Coda

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